Process for smoothing and polishing metal articles and parts.



W. R. PARSONS. PROCESS FOR SMOOTHING AND POLISHING METAL ARTICLES AND PARTS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14; 1900.

1,017,268. Patented Feb. 13,1912;

, UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE;

WINSLOW .B. PARSONS, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' Y raocsss FOB smoo'rnm'e Am POLISHING METAL ARTICLES AND PARTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VViNsLow R. PARSONS, citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Processes for Smoothing and Polishing Metal Articles and Parts, of which the following is a full, clear,- and exact specification.

This invention relates to improvements in processes for smoothing and polishingmetal articles and parts, and particularly those of entirely dispense with hand manipulation in removing burs from, and smoothing the surface of, and finally polishing throughout metal articles and parts for immediate use, or -for subsequent plating, small metal articles and particularly those which are stamped from sheet steel, as for example, attachments for sewing machines, such as hemmers in one or more pieces, the parts of rufliers, tuckers, embroiderers, and screw driver parts, and any and all other small articles stamped from sheet metal, and also castings or forgings, both large and small. In other words, it is the prime object of my invention to provide an improved method by which the tumbling barrel method may be exclusively used for both smoothing rough articles andv polishing smooth articles and parts not before capable of being smoothed andv polished in atumbling barrel because of injury thereto, but reduced to a higher state of smoothness and polish than heretoforepossible articles which, prior to my invention, were partly smoothed in a tumbling barrel, but for finally smoothing and polishing were necessarily removed therefromland subjected to hand manipulation on emery wheels, bufiers and the like,

In practicing my new method or process I may employ any old and well known form of tumbling barrel, such for example as Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 14, 1908. Serial No. 452,977.

Patented Feb. 13,1912.

illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 indicates an ordinary form of construction of tumbling barrel and Fig. 2 ahcross section thereof in which the body of t e fixed in one end of which is a head 4, and at the opposite end a smaller but removable head'5 for the purpose of introducing and removing the articles or parts and the abrad-- ing materials thereof ofmy invention, care being taken that the heads are so closely fitted that neither the liquid nor other abrading materials employed may accidentally escape therefrom, and to which end, if desired, both'heads may -be permanently secured in position, and access to the barrel be had through'a manhole in the side thereof and the outlet closed by a removable cover 6.

In carryingout my invention, so far as it articles to be subsequently polished and then abraded, if desired, the barrel is filled about three-fourths full with the articles or parts ings or chopped up pieces of brass spherical shaped and the variety of pieces of brass dependmg upon the shape of the article or parts to be smoothed, as for examplefin hemmers made 1n onepiece, and in which there are various angular and curved surfaces and angular and curved notches the barrel consists of a hollow cylinder 3,"

relates to removing the otherwise smoothed-- to be smoothed and scraps, cuttings, pinchbrass pieces should be of such size and form thatthey may, in the tumbling barrel, p'roject into and be rubbed against the surfaces ofcurved and angular corners without. becoming locked or fastened therein, and'with the other pieces of brass of such form as to engage and rub against the several flat surfaces, all of which and the sizes of brass pieces employed will be readily understood by those skilled in the operation of tumbling barrels as heretofore commonly employed for various articles and parts.

In practice the'articles and the parts to be smoothed and the brass pieces should be more or less uniformly mixed before or during their introduction into the barrel. To the metal articles so distributed in the barrel I then add an abrasive material of a fineness which will cut the burs and smooth the several. surfaces, and not coarse enough to scratch the surfaces, and this either with or without first mixing the abrading material with a neutral oil, in other words, I preferably employ for such articles or arts as occur in sewing machine rufilers, em-

mers and other similar small articles stamped out of sheet steel emery of about number 180, but may employ other abrasives of a number adapted for producing the same cutting without scratching, varying the abrasive material as the metals are hard or soft, thick or thin, using to a tumbling barrel of a capacity of about eight gallons, filled three-fourths full as before described, fourfifths of an ounce of emery of about No. 180, and about one pint of neutral oil, that is to say an oil preferably free from acid or substantially so in order to smooth all the edges abrading material employed, but in practice it is found that when the oil and emery are ,in the perfect proportions above stated the burs are removed and the articles and parts perfectly smoothed respectively with thoroughness and the highest degree of polish and in the shortest possible time, that is to say, by operating the tumbling barrel continuously for about two days time, when it will be found that they are entirely free of burs and other roughness of surface, but it:

should be borne in mind as the stocks of the parts are thicker and their edges rougher, the longer time the operationof the tumbling barrel must be'continued, and that on the other hand the thinner the stock of which the articles or parts is composed a correspondingly shorter time of operation of the tumbling barrel is required. to render them perfectly smooth.

After removing the burs and smoothing the articles or parts, as above described the articles or parts and the pieces of brass are thoroughly cleansed of emery, oil and'dirt, and are then placed in another tumbling barrel into which is introduced a neutral oil but no emery, whereupon the tumbling barrel is then operated from one to three days depending upon the character of polish, and at the end of which time it will be found that all the surf-aces of the articles or parts are polished to a very high degree, and may be to the highest possible degree that steel surfaces are capable of being polished.

For securing the best possible results in the polishin operation, the tumblin barrel should be fi led or substantially filed full with the articles or parts and the pieces of brass," to reduce their movement against the barrel and against each other to a'degree that will prevent any possibility of their being scratched by blows either by the 1nner surface of the barrel, or by strik ng against each other, while at the same time the movements ofthese three things should be sufiiciently free toproduce a shdmg, rubbing movement between the articles or parts and the pieces of brass to polish the former to the desired degree, notwithstanding without any possibility of theirbemg scratched or otherwise marred. The articles or parts, when so polished are capable of taking on a more umformly perfect and stable nickel or other plating heretofore and commonly employed because of the degree of smoothness underlying and the high de ee of polish they have but towhich end an? before being subjected to the completing operation theymay be first cleansed of any foreign substances and oil by the usual methods, that 1s .to say by first drawing off the oil, se arating them from the brass pieces and t on subjecting them, (the articles or arts or both, as may be) to hardwood saw ust, or may be to a very dilute alkaline bath a sutficient length of time to remove all the grease therefrom.

particularly So far as I am aware I am the first to use in a tumbling barrel or other agitator pieces of brass havin a rubbin contact with other base meta s. for smoot in polishing, and the first to employ o and an abrading material of any kind,and particularly emery in a tumbling barrel or other agitator for polishing metal articles or parts of any kind, and my invention is, therefore, not limited to the general employment of oil, brass and emery forpurposes of smoothand .ing metal articles or parts confined therein,

although my invention includes all three for that purpose. Neither is my invention limited to the general use of oil and brass in a tumbling barrel for polishing metal articlescontained therein, but extends to water or other liquids as a substitute for oil when brass pieces are employed for polishing purposes, as above described. My invention also includes the employment of any alloy that. v

is adapted to perform the same or substantially the same smoothing and polishing eifectthat is due and attributable to the use of an alloy composed essentiall of copper and zinc, commonly known and as brass.

In conclusion, it shouldbe observed that the smoothing and olishing effect of pieces of brass upon steel as the same effect upon the brass, and that, therefore, my invention 25 designated includes the polishing of lirassarticles by means of pieces of steel of sizes and forms adapted to contact with the regular and irregular surfaces of such brass articles, and

that there are instances in which bothbrass and metal articles may be polished without the employment of waste pieces of either of these materials.

Now having described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The herein described method of smoothing metal articles and parts, thesame consisting in subjectin them to a wearing frictional action simultaneously in the presence of brass, a liquid and an abrasive material, substantially as described.

2. The herein described method of smoothing metal articles and parts stamped from sheet metal, the same consisting in subjecting them to smoothing frictional contact copies of this patent nay be obtained for five cents each, by Y Washington D.0.-

simultaneously with brass, oil and an abrasive material, and each with the other, substantially as described.

3. That improvement in the art of smoothing and polishing articles and parts of steel and brass, the same consisting in simultaneously subjecting both in the presence of a liquid to a frictional movement one upon the other in the form and for a time substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and afiixed my seal, this tenth day of September, A. D. 1908.

WINSLOW R. PARSONS. [1,. s.]

Witnesses: Y Y

J N0. G. ELLIOT-r,- M. G. FrrzsIMMoNs.

addressing the Commissioner of Patent. 

